Hilo Merchant, Michael Tokunaga was named Hawaii’s SBA Business Person of the Year. Tokunaga is the third generation owner of S. Tokunaga Store which sells fishing, hunting and outdoor supplies. And I am proud to say that I am a patron of his store. Let’s just say that he has the widest selection of diving equipment in town and his gear helps me catch a few lobsters from time to time. Where exactly do I dive for them? Well that’s my little secret.

Anyway, Tokunaga will be representing Hawaii in Washington D.C. at a big SBA event in May. Tokunaga is the son of Ethel and Earl Tokunaga. Ethel, his mother, ran the store after his grandfather retired. I also remember seeing Earl at the store from time to time too. Back in the day, I remember hearing stories from Earl about his exploits in bowling. From what I recall, he was quite the bowler. In fact, I believe that he bowled 300 a number of times. To someone like me who struggles to break 80 in a round of bowling that is impressive indeed.

Photo is from the Pacific Business News website where I spotted the original article.

Here in Hilo we have some of the highest gas prices in the nation. Right now it costs $4.50 per gallon for us to fill up. It always bugs me when people from other places complain about high gas prices, but don’t realize how much worse prices are over here. For example, gas prices in Wyoming are only $3.05 per gallon right now. But I bet people there are complaining as we speak about high gas prices.

If Hilo’s high gas prices are getting you down. Here is where you can find the Best Gas Prices in Hilo.

But I guess that short of selling my car and buying a horse, there isn’t much that can be done. I mean it is a matter of supply and demand and of course taxes thrown into the mix. If you look at a chart of crude oil production, supply has not increased for the past few years. Now I suppose OPEC could be holding back, but at $100 per barrel they could be making a lot more money if they pumped more oil, so perhaps they are tapped out. So the only way to get lower prices is if demand falls or if taxes on gas are reduced. Did you know that 13% of the gas price is due to taxes?

But one way to find lower gas prices is to take a look at this website that lists the prices of gas at the various gas stations in Hilo. Right now the lowest price is at Tesoro which is $4.51 per gallon. But this changes every day. I guess one way to get lower prices is to always choose the gas station with the lowest prices to encourage the other stations to match the lower price, which they might be inclined to do if no one goes to their station. And since Hilo is a small town, you don’t have to drive very far out of your way for a lower price.

After all, what is the point of saving $0.05 per gallon if you burn a gallon of gas driving around to find the absolute lowest price?

Hilo Lodging is not that hard to find if you know exactly where to look. The great thing about staying here is Hilo is the costs. The costs for Hilo Lodging are dramatically lower than the costs for staying in Kona. But there’s a reason for this and the reason is the weather. Sure Hilo weather is warm, but it is also rainy. In fact, Hilo is the rainiest city in the United States and the rain is a factor in keeping lodging prices in Hilo down. But if you don’t mind a little warm rain, Hilo might be just the place for you.

Hilo Hostels and Campgrounds

If you’re looking for much more, shall we say, budget accommodations, there are numerous lower price locations to stay. Right in the heart of downtown Hilo, there’s Hilo Hostel. As you well know, hostels are generally frequented by a younger crowd that’s into traveling light and meeting new individuals. So if you’re into that sort of factor, Hilo Hostel is a great place. Arnott’s Lodge is an additional inexpensive location to remain. It has essentially hostel or dormitory style accommodations and it also features a campground exactly where you are able to pitch a tent also.

Hilo Hotels

But 1st there are several different kinds of Hilo Lodging. The very first and most obvious option are hotels. Hilo features a number of good hotels, but I would need to say that none of them are as luxurious as ones which you would find on the Kona side of the island. A few of the larger and better hotels include the Naniloa Volcanoes Resort, Hilo Hawaiian and the Hilo Seaside Hotel. All of these hotels are located on the Waiakea peninsula on Banyan Drive. The Waiakea Peninsula juts into Hilo Bay and so most of the hotels there have excellent view of Hilo Bay. All of these hotels are also inside walking distance from the Naniloa nine hole golf course. The greens fees you will find quite reasonable, so in the event you like golf, these hotels might be excellent for you.

Hilo Bed and Breakfasts

An additional type of Hilo Lodging is bed and breakfasts. Not only do you have a place to stay for the night but you also get breakfast within the morning also, so these locations can be great places to remain at. Usually the breakfasts are fairly simple but they do often consist of excellent local produce like Kona coffee, organic eggs, fresh local fruits like bananas and pineapples and pancakes with Lehua or Macadamia honey.

These bed and breakfasts are spread out through out the whole district of Hilo, in contrast to the hotels, so finding them are a bit more difficult, but it is nicely worth the work. There are a few nice ones overlooking Honoli’i which is a popular and essentially the only great Hilo surf spot, aside from Richardson’s that is usually more of a spot for physique boarders. There are also a number of nice bed and breakfasts which are much more mauka (or towards the mountains) also. Some of these can be truly remote, but very quiet and good locations to stay.

So if you’re looking for great hilo lodging, you’d do nicely to consider any of the locations mentioned right here. There’s a location to stay in Hilo for any budget.

Hilo Airport is one of my favorite airports. Not only is it close to my home, but also it has a number of beautiful potted anthurium plants growing along the covered walkway that leads out to the jet ways. Now that direct flights have resumed to the mainland from Hilo airport it is really convenient for me and my family to fly to the mainland again. Before the resumption of direct flights, going to the mainland meant a two hour drive to the Kona airport or flying in the opposite direction to Honolulu aiport and then flying from there to the mainland adding several hours to the five hour flight.

Hilo Airport is located on the east coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. The Big Island of Hawaii has miles and miles of beaches, an active volcano, anthurium and macadamia nut farms, majestic mountains, rustic small towns and a jagged coastline with incredible views. And yes, it is the best town in the world, if I do say so, myself.

Hilo Airport Guide

Hilo International Aiport, or ITO for short, (how it got this abbreviation, I have no clue) is located about two miles from the center of Hilo. It is nestled along the Hilo coast and is right next to the center of a ocean front community called Keaukaha. Airplanes fly right over the community and keep people up at night so it would be nice if there were fewer late night flights, but in any case over a million passengers use Hilo Airport each year.

Hilo airport is great because you can’t get lost here. It has a simply layout with the passenger terminal at the southern end of the landing strip. The passenger terminal consists of a single long building in the shape of a horizontal line. The parking, taxis and car rental stations are located immediately adjacent to the front of the terminal and everything is really easy to find. I get lost just about everywhere I go. I even get lost in the inside of Walmart, but I’ve never gotten lost at the Hilo Aiport. So I don’t think that you can get lost here either.

Hilo Airport Parking

Hilo Airport Parking Rates
Parking at the Hilo airport can sometimes get crowded, but since you are probably just visiting you won’t have to deal with this when you rent a car, but for a locals it can be an issue, but compared to some of the other airports I’ve been to it has some of the best parking rates that I have ever seen.

Ground Transportation at Hilo Airport

Hilo in general has almost no public transportation save a small bus service. There is no public transportation at Hilo airport so you have only a few options. Call a friend to pick you up. Rent a car or catch a taxi. Walk or hitchhike. That is about it when it comes to transportation options.

Which Airlines Fly to Hilo Airport?

As I said before direct flights to the mainland are available again at the Hilo Airport so this makes it really convenient again.
With the demise of Aloha Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines is the only major local carrier left. Other carriers include Continental and Delta.

History of Hilo Airport

Land for the Hilo Airport was appropriated by Norman Lyman back in 1925 who introduced a resolution to ask for 100 acres of land from the governor for an airfield in Keaukaha, Hilo. And they initially budgeted $10,000 to clear and level the land. That seems like a tiny amount of money to start work on an airport, doesn’t it? Back then they built the runway out of crushed white coral dredged from Hilo Wharf.

By 1935 two runways were completed along with a small prison camp to house the prisoners that were employed to build and maintain the airport.

In 1943 the name of the Hilo Airport was officially changed to General Lyman Field in honor of Brigadier General Albert Kualii Brickwood Lyman who was the first person of Hawaii ancestry to ever become a Brigadier General in the U.S. Army.

By 1944 a total of $2.7 million had been spent building the Hilo Airport, which is probably a far cry from what it would cost to build today.

Hilo Airport Facilities

Hilo airport has two runways. One is 5,600 feet long and the other is 9,800 feet long. When President Obama stays on Oahu a spare airplane is kept at Hilo Airport for him just in case there are problems with Air Force One. The spare airplane and Air Force One are exactly identical. Did you know that if the president flies in the spare plane it automatically becomes Air Force One, because whatever plane the president happens to be flying in is officially called Air Force One?

Hilo Airport Issues

One of the biggest issues with Hilo Airport is the level of noise at night. Hilo airport is located in the center of a community called Keaukaha and of course it is difficult to sleep at night with noisy airplanes flying overhead. Late night flights are obviously a touchy subject in the community here.

Who Owns Hilo Airport?

Hilo airport is owned and operated by the State of Hawaii. In its early days it used to be owned and operated by and for the U.S. military but it was eventually handed over to the state once commercial flights were allowed to commence here.

Weather at Hilo Airport

Weather at Hilo Airport is warm, but rainy with a chance of more rainy. All joking aside, Hilo is the rainiest city in the United States, so rain is frequently on the agenda. But at least it is warm rain. The average temperature here is usually between 70 and 80 degrees.

i only wanted us to have some good fun,
and i nevah meant to be like one lolo buggah

hilo rain, hilo rain
its a pain, its a pain
hilo rain, hilo rain

i only wanted to see you dancing in the hilo rain
i never wanted to be one small kine lover
i only wanted to be one good friend

sistah i could never take you from another
it’s so junk our friendship had to end

hilo rain, hilo rain
its a pain, its a pain
hilo rain, hilo rain

i only wanted to see you dancing in the hilo rain

(a pidgin song by da kine for one girl)